How would you like to help design Nissan‘s next Z car? You can do just that – using Facebook – as Nissan announces Project 370Z.

Putting Z enthusiasts in the driver’s seat of design, Nissan launched this initiative as a chance to showcase how many options are available in this car. Using a 2013 370Z as a base, this car will be built in several different stages – power, handling/brakes and interior and exterior. To put in your two cents about each section, post your thoughts on Nissan’s Performance Facebook fan page with wall posts, likes and comments. These responses will be reviewed each voting session, and the upgrades and accessories with the most fan support will be picked for that particular phase.

“Car companies build project vehicles all the time, but we thought it’d be interesting to harness the power of social media to reach out to Z enthusiasts – the people who are doing this to their own cars everyday,” said Jon Brancheau, vice president, Nissan Marketing, NNA. “Together we’ll create a vehicle that expands on the already outstanding performance and style of the Nissan 370Z with a balance of street and track ready modifications.”

The final result will be making its grand debut in a grand setting this May during ZDayZ – in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. If you can’t make it to that momentous day, not to worry – the Project 370Z will be making an appearance at other Nissan events, such as ZCON 2012 and SEMA.

Check out a short video about Project 370Z after the jump.

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DriveSRT posted a sign on their Facebook fan page last week saying they would release a teaser of the 2013 SRT Viper if the number of “likes” they got exceeded 10,000 before February 1.

Needless to say, it did so without much difficulty. We published an article last Friday talking about the fan page. The Viper’s return is sure to be one of the more exciting things to happen this year. We’re extremely eager to see how the 8.4-liter, 600 hp V-10 we saw in 2010 has evolved. Dodge cars are seeing some serious changes, like the 2013 Dart, under new owner Fiat.

It’s been a good thing: according to the Detroit Free Press, Chrysler is expected to report its first annual net profit since 1997 at $600 million. That said, we’re curious to see how much of the raw America spirit the Viper maintains.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

GALLERY: SRT Viper Teaser

If there’s really such a thing as car porn, then DriveSRT is the fluffer. They’re offering to release a teaser video of the 2013 SRT Viper if their Facebook fan page gets 10,000 hits before February 1.

Enthusiasts are aware, but in case you somehow missed it, Dodge discontinued the Viper in 2010 because of money problems to much hissing by the automotive community.

While any information on the iconic car is a titillating promise, we’re starting to feel a little teased. As of publication, their page had well over 10,000 “Likes” and that number grew larger every time we tapped the refresh button.

The 2013 Viper is one of the more exciting releases slated for this year and we’re feeling as impatient as a high school senior on prom night. The page says they are “racing towards 10,000 fans” and that they will unlock something that will hint at the lines before the official unveiling in April.

We’re not sure if they mean that this “unlocking” will happen on February 1, or if they’re just taking their sweet time on giving up the goods. Your best bet is to check the page frequently, though we’ll be doing the same and letting everyone know as soon as we get a glimpse.

Porsche is celebrating a milestone of reaching two million fans on its Facebook page by unveiling a customized Cayman S featuring red-tinted photos of all their Facebook fans.

The color scheme draws inspiration from the Porsche 917 K, the same vehicle that won the company’s first overall Le Mans victory. The Cayman S will be on display at the Porsche Museum out in Stuttgart throughout this month, but if you aren’t planning on making the journey over there, hit the source link and take a look at the car yourself. You can even search your name to find yourself or zoom in at all different angles of the Cayman to see who else’s face adorn the custom Porsche.

Plus, don’t forget to become a fan of AutoGuide on Facebook here.

GALLERY: Facebook-Themed Porsche Cayman S

[Source: Porsche 2 Million Fans]

Automakers have seen the benefits that social media can have on its brands, and as a result, are spending more time (and money) cultivating a presence on these online channels. And this effort is paying off – especially for Nissan. Nissan North America has been interacting with fans of its brands through social media and building a loyal brand following.

Nissan is seeing increased fan interaction on the big three social media venues: Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Nissan ranked #8 on list of Top 15 Brands on Twitter for 2011 (as indexed by HootSuite), joining other famous brands such as Apple and Nike. Boasting more than 75,000 Twitter followers across various Nissan brand accounts, the automaker is following the lead of automakers that like to tweet. Take Lexus – the luxury brand is rated the most active tweeter when it comes to automakers, conversing with 288,000 followers… not too shabby.

Nissan is also making great strides with its Facebook account. The company has passed the 500,000 likes count, thanks it part to the all-new Pathfinder Concept reveal that can be accessed by liking Nissan’s Facebook page. Nissan still has a way to go before catching up with BMW’s Facebook page, which boasts over 7,000,000 fans.

Considering how popular online videos are, it’s no surprise that Nissan is having increased success on YouTube. The Nissan channel views have jumped to 10,000,000, thanks to frequent and updated video content.

If you’re a fan of staying current on auto trends, don’t forget to follow AutoGuide on Twitter and Facebook.

Mark Zuckerberg, the introverted king of social media, has his fingers in so many pies that it’s starting to look like he grew a few thousand extra hands.

To be fair, it’s not so much Zuckerberg having a hand in Mercedes as it is Mercedes integrating Facebook into their new cars. Nonetheless, the fact that it’s happening and that this isn’t the first instance, means Facebook is evolving far beyond anything other social media tools creators could have fathomed.

We published a story late last week that talked about Mercedes’ mbrace2 technology, but at the time there wasn’t as much information as there is after the company elaborated.

Since then we’ve learned that the cloud-based apps previously mentioned will include Google, Yelp and -you guessed it- Facebook.

Feel free to debate the merits of checking your friends newsfeed or status update in the comments below, wasn’t that part of why we all started buying smart phones?

Regardless, other manufacturers are doing it, and Mercedes insists their adoption of the technology is just representative of staying on the cutting edge. Aside from keeping up with your BFF’s latest relationship quibbles, mbrace2 will let you stay up to date on news and events via a real-time concierge service.

Some people might look at this and feel a pang of nostalgia for when cars ran on gas, got fixed with wrenches and had little more than a spare tire and owners manual packaged with it from the dealer. Then again, the allure of being constantly connected could prove to be a seller. Expect mbrace2 in the MY13 SL-Class.

How’s this for putting a breast… er, we mean foot… in your mouth? NASCAR race car driver Kasey Kahne is furiously back peddling after making some objectionable remarks on Twitter about breast feeding.

The comments were made on Twitter after Kahne saw a woman breastfeeding her child in a supermarket. At first, he tweeted: “Just walking through supermarket. See a mom breastfeeding little kid. Took second look because I was obviously seeing things. I wasn’t!” A minute or so later, he added: “One boob put away one boob hanging!!! #nasty” and “I don’t feel like shopping any more or eating.” Those last two were quickly deleted shortly after he posted them, but not before others saw and were appalled with what he wrote.

After being swamped with thousands of comments on his site, he issued an apology on Facebook a few hours later, saying: “I apologize. It was in no way my intention to offend any mother who chooses to breastfeed her child, or, for that matter, anyone who supports breast feeding children. In all honestly, I was surprised by what I saw in a grocery store. I shared that reaction with my fans on Twitter. It obviously wasn’t the correct approach, and, after reading your feedback, I now have a better understanding of why my posts upset some of you.” He also apologized on Twitter to a woman who had objected to his breast feeding comment, whom he called “a dumb bitch” – it’s unclear whether or not he made this remark because he was surprised that someone had something bad to say about him.

His racing-team sponsors Great Clips weren’t amused by his comments, and hours before his apology was made, the hair salon chain tweeted two women Kahne had blasted online: “Our apologies for this. Please know that response was uncalled for & does not reflect our organization.”

We’re wondering if Kahne is going to go the Ashton Kutcher route and hire someone to make sure his tweets aren’t too offensive.

[Source: Toronto Star]

Volvo chief designer Christopher Benjamin took took his artistry to the social media masses in a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Volvo P1800.

In case you don’t know, the P1800 was Volvo’s take on a sports car in the early ’60s and were produced for about a decade, as a rival for the Jaguar E-Type.

Despite having long been been discontinued, Volvo fans have an appreciation for these cars and were predictably intrigued by Benjamin releasing the pictures. However, the company quickly quelled speculation that a production model might be in the works.

If you want to see the Facebook posts, click here.

[Source: Autoblog]

Even as the Occupy movement is being disbanded around the world, one branch of the movement just had a resurgance, as Saab fans “occupied” the Facebook page of General Motors.

Saab fans blame GM for holding up the sale of Saab to their potential saviors - whoever they may be (so far it’s been Russian businessmen, American private equity investors and now, a Chinese automaker) but GM has expressed concerns about intellectual property getting into the wrong hands. GM definitely has a point, and we’re not sure if juvenile tactics like this will help advance the cause of Saab fans. Perhaps the opposite.

Nissan Australia is fighting a public relations backlash after it was announced that the winner of a Facebook contest it held turned out to be best friends with a staffer managing the site. Far more than just a free t-shirt or a mug, the winner received a shiny new Nissan Micra, and a $1,250 gift card.

Nissan didn’t attempt to hide the identity of the winner either, announcing that Zac Martin of Victoria was the proud new owner of a Micra and commenting, “Congratulations Zac. Hope you enjoy the Micra. However, we say with all honesty and the best of intentions, we wish you hadn’t won!!!”

In the same post on the Nissan Micra Australia Facebook page, it goes on to explain that the page’s manager, Simon Oboler, is friends with Martin. In fact, Oboler described Martin on his personal blog as his “BFF” (best friend forever).

“We know how this sounds!” the post continues. “The reality is that he won fair and square and all is fully above board. The problem is that it will raise doubts in some people’s minds and gossip and conspiracy theories will surface.”

That they most certainly did with commenters on the post saying they’ll never buy a Nissan and demanding that the automaker show proof that the contest wasn’t rigged.

Nissan says it can limit participation by family members and employees, but not friends.

The contest, called Micraspotting, had competitors find hidden pictures of the Micra on Facebook pages belonging to bars, entertainment venues and clothing stores.

Nissan is sticking with its plan to award Martin the Micra despite the backlash and has said based on feedback it is looking at future contests, although with some changes.

The post on the Nissan Micra Australia Faceboook page continues. “Congrats once again Zac. Well done. Please don’t ever enter any of our comps again!”

[Source: Sydney Morning Herald]

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